Process of refining oil



D. PYZEL PROCESS OF REFINING OIL Filed May 18.

Augu 26 i924.

Patentedug. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT oFFICE.

DANIEL-PYZEL, OF PIEDMONT, CALIFORNIA.

PROCESS OF REFINING i OIL.

Application filed May 18,

T o all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, DANIEL PYZEL, a subject of the Queen of Holland, residing at Piedmont, county of Alameda, and State of California, have invented a new and useful Process of Refining Oils, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates in general .to processes used for reining l petroleum oils and has a particular utility when applied .to cracking processes. v

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improvement in cracking processes by which the deposition of carbon in the cracking apparatus is prevented so that the cracking process may be carried on indefinitely. l

A further object of the invention is to provide means for conserving heat and therefore promoting a greater economy in such processes.

Further objects and advantages will be `made evident hereinafter.

Referring to the drawingywhich is a diagram showing one -embodiment of my invention, 11 is a cracking still, 12 is an air cooler or dephlegmator, 13 is a condenser, 14 is a receiving tank, 15 isa pressure regulating valve and 16 is a trap. The members 11 to 16 constitute a typical cracking apparatus such as is now in use in many places and this embodiment is selected merely for illustrative purposes. Its method of operation is as follows:

The still l1 is charged with the-oilwhich it is desired to crack and is raised to a cracking temperature, the vapors passing into the air cooler or dephlegmator 12 and from thence into the condenser 13, from charge `the residuum carried thereinZ other words, to run on the batch system.

thence to the receiving tank 14, pressure being maintained on the entire system by means of the valve 15.` During the cracking, vapor is taken off from the cracking still 11 and the oil Vaporized may be replaced by fresh oil through an inlet pipe 18, the quantity of oil in the cracking still being kept fairly constant.

I have found that when apparatus such as that described is operated in the manner described that in the course of time the accumulation of carbon in the still 11 makes it necessary toshut down the still and diIs- This is troublesome, and expensive due to the necessity of shutting down the plant 1921. Serial No. 470,542.

during the discharge and refilling of the still 11.

For the purpose of rendering a process of the above described nature continuous, I provide a pipe 20 which has a constricted opening' or a partially closed valve 21.l The oil in the still 11 is ordinarily carried at a high temperature and at a considerable pressure. The size of the orifice in the valve 2l is such that a portion of this oil is continuously discharged through this orifice, the pressure being relieved in passing through the valve 21 so that the hot oil enters a pipe 22 a little above atmospheric pressure but at an elevated temperature. I prefer to introduce superheated steam through a pipe 23 controlled by a valve 24 into the flowing body of oil in the pipe 22. Due to the reduction in the pressure on the oil and the addition of steam thereto, there is an immediate distillation therefrom, a foam being formed in the pipe 22, the oil therein carrying oil vapors in the form of bubbles. This foam is delivered into the top of a vapor separating chamber 25 which may be of any convenient form. That shown consists of spreader cones 26 which tend to deflect the oil and throw it against the inner walls of the chamber in the form of a thin lm from which the vapor may escape, this vapor being taken through a vapor pipe 27 into a dephlegmator 28, the heavier portions of this vapor being condensed therein and delivered through a vpipe 29 into the bottom of the vapor separating chamber 25 which may be supplied with a steam coil 30 so that a redistillation takes place therefrom. The vapor not condensed in the dephlegmator 28 is carried through a pipe 31v into a condenser 32 being delivered through a pipe 33 into suitable storage 34.

I have found that in the operation of cracking stills, the temperature must be maintained at such a high point that a considerable portion of the residuum delivered through the pipe 20 is vaporized as soon as the pressure is relieved, this vaporization being assisted by the addition of steam. In the separating chamber 25, these vapors are taken off, a greater portion being eventustill, I am able to render this cracking still' continuous in its operation,l I am also able to prevent a formation of carbon deposits therein as I lprevent formation of heavily concentrated carbon solutions.

I claim as my invention:

A process of crackingoil which comprises: maintaining a main body` of oil at a cracking ktemperature and pressure; continuously taking olf vapors therefrom;l continuously i l supplying fresh oil to maintain the volume of said oil undergoing said cracking; tinuously withdrawing oil from said body of oil for the p irpose of preventing any increase of the free carbon therein over a predetermined proportion; injecting steam linto 4 the oil so Withdrawn to form a foam, and thereafter spreading this foam in a thin film after relieving the pressure thereon and ,conf

cracking temperature of said main body of oil; and continuously withdrawmg vapors fromA the oil 'so withdrawn aftersaid pres'- sure has been relieved. v

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at the city and county of San Franl cisco, California, this 11th day of May, 1921.

DANIEL PYZEL.y

30 i' y while the same is still at substantially the 

